Pay attention to ▲Calligraphy Commune▲ With thousands of book elites,
Explore a new way of life in China's calligraphy, painting and printing!
Source l Author of "China Art Daily" l Zhang Yudan Original title l Zeng Xi Jiaoyou anecdote sharing l Shuyi Commune (ID: shufaorg)
Zeng Xi (1861-1930), born in Longtian Village, Shishi Town, Hengyang County, Hunan, was famous for his name, and later changed his name to Xi, the word Zizhi, the number Shiyuan, Tong Yuan, Nongfu, etc., successively served as the director of the Ministry of War, the supervisor of the South Road Normal School, the supervisor of the Yuelu Higher School, the deputy speaker of the Hunan Provincial Consultative Bureau (Parliament), one of the leading figures of the Shanghai School of calligraphy, and Wu Changshuo, Huang Binhong, Li Ruiqing are collectively known as the "Four Demons of the Sea". Zeng Xi traveled extensively and became famous, and his past travels with Li Ruiqing, Zhang Daqian and other famous artists have been passed down to this day.
Zeng Xi asked Kang Youwei for "debts" on behalf of friends
Zeng Xi and Li Ruiqing are quite good at collecting inscriptions, and their collections of ancient calligraphy and paintings, and rubbings of inscriptions run through their entire artistic careers. With the gradual strengthening of the economic foundation, their purchases are becoming more and more considerable, and the Tan Yanmin and Tan Zehong brothers are also fond of collecting, and a calligraphy and painting inscription collection circle centered on Zeng Xi, the Li brothers, and the Tan brothers has gradually formed. For example, "Tan Yanmin's Diary" on December 28, 1915: "From eight o'clock. Pro "Magu" two papers...... The Taoist priest and his disciple Jiang Guobang arrived, and brought He Xuansuo to collect the "Shi Chenhou Tablet", and covered Song Tuo...... Zeng Jiu belonged to the collection of Su poems, and was a portrait of a Taoist priest...... With Zeng Jiujisu to eleven o'clock, it is bed. Li Ruiqing was depressed after his death, and in order to buy a cemetery for him, Zeng Xi had to sell Chen Xiyi, who was most cherished by the Li family during his lifetime, to Zhao Hengti. For this reason, in 1923, Zeng Xi recorded such a story: "This Mr. Xiyi is in the booklet of "Stone Gate...... The Taoist was purchased because of the heavy value, and he went on leave for Mr. Changsu. When the Taoist died, he began to ask for it. It is still used to transfer the needs of the cemetery to the friends of Yi Wu. But the sea knows that the Taoist is meritorious to Mr. Changsu, and he has to do it. After Kang Youwei borrowed this work from the Qingdao people, he couldn't put it down and was reluctant to return it for a long time.
Zeng Xi, to Yao Yunjiangza, 26cm×16cm, 1928
"South Zeng North Li", a good story of the art garden
Zeng Xi and Li Ruiqing (1867-1920) were well-known calligraphers on the sea in modern times, and their acquaintance was also quite coincidental. In 1891, the two met in Changsha Tianxin Pavilion. In Zeng Xi's impression, Li Ruiqing "has a loud voice and few words...... On his day, Zhongzi fasted, and he talked about the day. Shi Fang crisscrossed hundreds of schools, looked up to the ancient and modern, regarded the world as nothing to be taken seriously, only loved Zhongzi, Zhongzi also loved hair, so it was Mo Rebellion". Li's honesty and Zeng's Geng Jie complement each other, coupled with the similarity of their interests in calligraphy and painting, and finally composed a good story of the two "friends of Guan Bao". Before the Xinhai Revolution, Zeng and Li got along mainly during the examination period in the capital, and their mutual friends included Shen Zengzhi, Zheng Xiaoxu, Chen Sanli, Fu Tienian, Yang Qian'an, Tan Zemin brothers, etc. After the Xinhai Revolution, Li Ruiqing went to Shanghai to make a living, calling himself "Qingdaor", after gaining a firm foothold in Shanghai, Li Ruiqing remembered his friend Zeng Xi, and under his strong recommendation, Zeng Xi also began to live in Shanghai in 1916. In order to gain a place in Shanghai, Li Ruiqing mainly took the French Han and Wei Fang pen all the way, and called himself "Beizong", while Zeng Xi mainly attacked the round pen all the way, and called himself "Nanzong", and the two quickly became famous on the sea with the name of "Nanzeng and North Li". Li Ruiqing spared no effort to set up a run for his friends and publicize them widely, and Zeng Xi also missed Li Ruiqing affectionately. According to Zhang Daqian's recollections, all the students who worshiped Zeng Xi's disciples were introduced to Li Ruiqing's disciples. Not only that, Li Ruiqing died, and Zeng Xi also took care of the aftermath and selected the cemetery, which was passed down as a good story. The two of them broke down the door wall together, set up tents and taught apprentices, and achieved fruitful results, Zhang Daqian, Zhang Shanzi, Ma Zonghuo, Li Jian and other handsome people all went out. Some of these students later became masters of Chinese culture, some became university professors, and some became professional calligraphers and painters, distributed in all walks of life, and their influence radiated to all corners of society, and passed on from generation to generation.
Artist, but also foodie
After Zeng Xi settled in Shanghai, he had frequent banquets with friends, allowing us to see another side of the widows and apartments who had escaped to the sea after the Xinhai Revolution. For example, according to the "Times", on the eve of the Chongyang Festival in 1919, Shen Zengzhi bought several baskets of hairy crabs in Yangcheng Lake to entertain his friends. From 1916 when Zeng Xi lived in Shanghai to 1920 before the death of the Qing Daoist, Zeng Xi, Li Ruiqing and their friends gathered in a few restaurants such as Xiaoyoutian, Beiyoutian, and Guyuxuan. Among them, Xiao Youtian and Don't have a day are Fujian restaurants, located on Sanma Road, while Gu Yuxuan is a Sichuan restaurant, located in a small garden, these restaurants are popular with the calligraphy and painting circles for their high quality and low prices. Li Ruiqing is the most fond of small dishes in his life, and he comes here almost every day, because he makes a couplet: "The Tao is very Taoist, and every day is small." During this period, Zeng Xi, Li Ruiqing, Tan Yanhong, Tan Zemin, Lu Man, Zhang Ziwu, Yu Mingyi, He Shisun, Chen Sanyuan, Wang Xuanfu, Zhang Chengzhi and more than a dozen people had frequent dinner activities, which can be described as the peak period of their "calligraphy and painting circle" activities. In this circle, Tan Yanmin can be called a gourmand and loves shark fin, and the Cantonese restaurant Cui Leju is famous for shark fin, and he has become a frequent customer. After the death of the Tan family, the "Tan family cuisine" flowed into the community, and the reputation spread, among which the "ancestral shark fin" is the most famous. After the death of Li Ruiqing in 1920, Tao Lechun, Yipinxiang and other restaurants became the main places for Zeng Xi and others to feast and drink. Zeng Xi also often invited his teachers and disciples to come to the family banquet when he had the local flavor of his hometown's specialties, and by the way, he appreciated calligraphy and paintings, and exchanged and appreciated collections. For example, on March 8, 1929, Zeng Xi's "To Yao Yunjiangza" cloud: "At seven o'clock tomorrow afternoon, there will be a little local flavor or two, but please talk to Xiaoting to the house, and look at the plum blossoms." Under the influence of his friends, Zeng Xi also has high requirements for ingredients and cooking techniques of home chefs, and often writes handwritten menus and notes the methods when serving guests at home. Under the influence of his teacher, Zhang Daqian also has a penchant for handwritten menus, which have been handed down to this day, which are not only unique "calligraphy works", but also precious manuscript materials, exuding a different charm and temperature.
Zeng Hee's handwritten menu
Zhang Daqian apprenticed to Zeng Xi
Zeng Xi (Zhang Daqian's complementary color, inscription) landscape vertical scroll 79cm×50cm
Everyone in the world knows that Zhang Daqian is Zeng Xi's high feet, but they don't know that Zhang Daqian's brother Zhang Shanzi and brother Zhang Junshou are all listed as Zeng Xi's disciples. Among them, Zhang Junshou and Zeng Xi did not study for a long time, and they committed suicide because of their affairs, while Zhang Shanzi and Zhang Daqian have been following Zeng Xi. The most affected is undoubtedly Zhang Daqian. In 1917, after Zhang Daqian entered Zeng Ximen, Zeng gave Zhang Daqian the name "Ji Qi" according to his mother's experience of "dreaming of black claws sitting on their knees and feeling that they were born seasons". In the following ten years, Zeng Xi treated Zhang Daqian like a disciple and a son, answered his confusion and solved his difficulties, and did enough paving work for Zhang Daqian to enter the art world. Zhang Daqian was not only deeply influenced by Zeng Xi in terms of calligraphy, painting style and connoisseurship preferences, but also had a lot of influence in dealing with people. Zhang Daqian recalled such an incident in his later years: once he bought a batch of paintings and calligraphy, negotiated 1,200 yuan, and still had 800 yuan to pay, Zhang's heart was anxious. After Zeng Xi saw this situation, he did not mention it directly, but took the opportunity of inviting his disciples to his home for dinner, tactfully asked him about buying paintings, and then lent him money, so as to avoid hurting Zhang Daqian's self-esteem. Every time Zhang Daqian recalled this incident, he was all embarrassed and moved. After Zeng Xi's death, Zhang Daqian not only sent the ancestor back to Hengyang from Shanghai to be buried, but also built a tomb near the tomb, rain or shine, and guarded the tomb for a month. In addition, he also went to the tomb of Master Zeng in Hengyang many times to mourn, and he was like a son. Not only that, whenever Zhang Daqian mentions his teacher in his paintings or calligraphy, he never forgets to sign the word "respect" at the registration office, which also fully reflects Zhang Daqian's gratitude and admiration for his teacher.
Graphic and text comprehensive source network, sharing this article is intended to convey more valuable information. Together with thousands of calligraphy elites, we will explore a new way of life of calligraphy, painting and printing in China! The original text does not represent the viewpoint, position and value judgment of the Calligraphy Commune. If you have any questions about the content, copyright, or other questions of the work, please contact the Book Art Commune.
Welcome|Connect
To contribute to the article, please contact: xshufa event report, please contact: shiyu798 to join the community of Shuyi Commune, please contact: xshufa business and marketing cooperation, please contact: shiyu798
At the end of browsing, remember to follow @Shuyi Commune to watch more valuable articles in time